Stacey-Ann's Blog

I thought this was a funny story and wanted to share.  My brother is a DJ in Jamaica where parties can sometimes go on all night.  My daughter wanted to talk to him the other morning.  My mom told her not to wake him up.  Sydney asks why she couldn't wake him since it was 11am.  My mom patiently explained that Uncle Stephen works at night and sleeps during the day, and my daughter in all her wisdom says "Oh, I get it.  He's nocturnal!"

The Women's Board of Montgomery General Hospital's Annual Picnic & Bazaar will be held on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 from 10am-8pm.  This will be held on the grounds of Montgomery General Hospital on Rt 108 in Olney, Maryland.  The event features great food, performances by local artists, items for sale, moonbounce, games, prizes, a clown, and much more.

The event benefits the Montgomery General Hospital and the Women's Board Scholarship Fund.

Come on out and have fun while supporting an important cause.

We really love our new home and neighborhood however, there are so many little things about a new community that we didn't consider.  The most annoying by far has been the lack of mail delivery.  The post office has not issued that extra four digit code that follows the zip code for this area yet so they don't deliver mail.  I asked the woman when it would be and she said "It will probably be a minute".  How long is that exactly? 

Initially I didn't think it would be a problem because I saw the mail truck in here.  However, I have since been informed that my side of the road is not being delivered yet.  So I have to drive to the post office everyday to pick up my mail even though I watch the mail truck drive by my house every day to deliver mail on the other side of the street.

There has got to be a better way!

Just wanted to say thank you to the team at All Points Moving & Storage for the fabulous job they did helping us move last weekend.  Mitchell, Kenney, Dre, & Richard were a pleasure to work with.  They were friendly and outgoing and easy to converse with.  There was a great deal of laughter as we were working.  It sometimes felt that we had friends helping us to move, instead of a company that we had hired.  They were very diligent and got the job done efficiently and correctly (nothing was broken or damaged).

I called several companies and All Points Moving & Storage was the one that had the best rates and the most flexibility in terms of when we wanted to move.  I actually chose them over a company that had moved us twice in the past simply because the rate was so competitive.

If you are in need of movers in the Maryland, DC, Virginia area give Bill Curtis from All Points Moving & Storage a call (301) 625-5001, (202) 726-1700, (703) 212-7800.  Be sure to tell him you heard about them from me.   Happy Moving!

I was not sure I was going to survive the time without tv, internet, and phone.  I surprised myself because what I missed the most was definitely the internet.  I realized how addicted I am to feeling connected.  I actually felt lost sitting here in the house each evening.  Once the kids went to bed the silence was so amazingly loud.  There were some perks, I did get some good reading and unpacking done and I really enjoyed listening to music at night.  My husband and I actually had good conversations when he got home from work.  However, I could not stand not being able to watch the news, write my blog, search the MLS, or read and comment on other blogs.  I am really glad that this forced electronic vacation is over and that I am back! 

We recently purchased a new home from NV Homes in Maryland.  I have been very impressed with the quality of the product that was delivered.  The home includes many features that contribute to a luxurious feel including crown moulding & chair railing, granite counters, hardwood floors & ceramic tiles, stainless steel appliances, and open floor plans.

A major contributor to our positive experience with NV was our sales rep, Marcus Brown.  Whenever a problem arose Marcus was always available to answer any questions and to help guide us through the process.  He always made us feel that our concerns were legitimate and that he would look out for our needs.  Dealing with Marcus has been one of the most pleasurable customer service experiences of my life.

Our decision to purchase a new NV home was based on a number of factors:

1. Another NV Sales Rep (Matt?) who was at a community called the Ridings in Upper Marlboro.  He was the first person that got me excited about the possibility of purchasing new construction.
2. We found a development that offered many of the amenities that we wanted for our family.
3. The relationship we were able to develop with Marcus.  Oak Creek has several builders and many floor plans.  However, none of the other sales reps in the community were as attentive to my questions and interests during the shopping phase, which led me to believe that they would not be attentive to me during the building phase.

Though there were some bumps along the way, I was not disappointed with either the way they were handled or how they affected the final product.

If you are in the market for a new home stop by the NV Model in Oak Creek, located in Upper Marlboro, MD and meet with Marcus, be sure to tell him Stacey Baugh sent you. 

I'm finally moving on Saturday.  Its a new community that includes cable and internet in the HOA fee so you have to deal with specific people.  They are not able to set up our service until next week Wednesday.  I am so dreading this.  No TV, No Internet, No Phone for 4 days!  How will we survive?    I guess I will have no distractions to prevent me from unpacking. 

Question #1: Who is my favorite musical artist?
That's a hard one for me because I have such eclectic music tastes (I like everything except classical, hard rock, and country, except for Kenny Rogers).  However, R. Kelly is one of my favorites (I know he's crazy but he sure is talented).

Question #2: Who is my favorite visual artist?
I'm a big fan of Monet and the Impressionist era in general.  Not fond of modern or contemporary art.

Question #3: Who is my favorite blogger?  I don't know if I have a favorite blogger but I definitely have some people who I enjoy reading their blogs and feeling like i'm getting to know them.

Question #4: If I could meet anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? I would love to meet my paternal grandmother.  She passed away the same year I was born.  She's the only one of my grandparents that I never grew up with.  The other three were such an important part of my life that I think I really missed out by not knowing her.

Question #5: What did I want to be when I grew up? First a telephone operator (ambitious I know), then a pediatrician.

Question #6: If I could live in any point of history when would it be and why? I would like to live right now.  I think watching all the changes in technology over the past few years is fascinating and I can't imagine functioning without them.

Question #7: What is the most interesting piece of trivia you know? That Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country in the world.

Question#8: What is the most interesting job you have ever held? The most interesting job i've had would be teaching undergraduate psychology courses.  Each class is different and each student brings a different flavor to the material.  On the other hand, the worse job I had was in high school where I was an envelope stuffer for the phone company.

Question #9:  What event has had the greatest impact on your life?  Obviously the usual things like my wedding day and the birth of my children have been very instrumental in shaping who I am.  However, apart from those obvious things there are two other things that have drastically changed who I am (in chronological order):

1. Moving to the United States from Jamaica in 1992.  Coming here as a teenager exposed me to different cultures and allowed to grow in many wonderful ways.  Also, allowed me to make some long lasting friendships.
2. September 11, 2001.  I lost my best friend, Angie Houtz in the Pentagon that morning.  I am not the same person I was before that.  I've had to learn that love sometimes hurts but that its better to love and hurt than to never allow yourself to connect to people.  We also set up a scholarship in her honor and that has become a major focus in my life.  

Thanks to Tracy Williams Pender for tagging me.  Its interesting to think about these responses.

Now to tag some other people, i'm afraid to do it in case they have been tagged in the past:
Debi Ernst, Richard Weisser, Dennis Beckner, Robert Rauf, Stuart Dobson.  Yvette Smith & Kevin O'Shea you get away because i'm pretty sure you've been hit before.

Thanks for all the suggestions we got for where my husband and I should go for our 10 year anniversary.  We got some great suggestions and some perspective that basically anywhere we went would be great simply because we were together.

I was disappointed that we were not going to make it to London (or anywhere in Europe) because of the outrageous air-fare.  Anyway practicality set in and we started looking local.  I just made the bookings for us to go to Charleston, SC.  We will spend half the time in downtown Charleston and the rest of the time on the beach (Isle of Palm, I think).  I'm really excited to explore a new part of the country that i've never visited.

If anyone has been to Charleston (or is from there) and they have suggestions for places we should see and visit or great restaurants please feel free to let me know.

Thanks for your help.

The excitement of buying a new home is wearing off and the reality of what lies ahead is beginning to set in.  I actually have to pack up and move.  Somehow, our entire life has to fit into one of these nice labelled boxes.

I am completely overwhelmed and had no idea where to begin.  I decided to start in my closet (yikes!!!).  I found a suitcase that had sweaters that I had not unpacked from my last move - 4 years ago.  I didn't need to even look at them because I did not even miss them, they went straight to the give-away pile.

Based on my current experience I have some tips to make moving slightly less overwhelming:

1. Hire movers for the big stuff if you can, to save money move the boxes, clothing, and kitchen items yourself.
2. Try to give yourself time so that you have the luxury of moving in stages.
3. Start packing early.
4. Pack one room at a time and label each box.
5. Move small stuff yourself and unpack each box as you bring it in.
6. Everytime you visit your new home bring some things with you, never waste a trip.
7. Use this as an opportunity to get rid of unwanted or unused items.
8. Schedule a pick-up with a local charity for the day following move to get any of those purged items (or have a yard sale to raise some extra money).
9. Pack on overnight bag with the items you'll need immediately.
10. Arrange for childcare on the day of the move.
11. Take frequent breaks, eat, and drink lots of fluids (especially on a hot day).

Remember moving is listed as one of life's most stressful experiences.  Give yourself frequent stress breaks and keep focused on the fact that when its done you will be settled in your new home.

So now i've got to get my boxes and my markers out and get to work.  Wish me luck!